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Information on the new 2015 budget has been released, and there are a lot of new changes that will affect motorists. George Osborne says that the new budget will see the planned increase in fuel duty done away with. He even explained how he will make petrol around 20p per litre cheaper. This, of course, is an average estimate and the same savings will not be seen all over.

It was not all good news for drivers, however. Osborne did say that the planned increase on vehicle excise duty costs are going to remain in effect. This duty is going to increase in line with inflation as previously planned. According to Osborne, this increase will start on April 1 and will affect anyone with a vehicle that fits into the D category or up. The duty will jump about £5 but possibly more.

Osborne also said that drivers will be able to pay for their vehicle excise duty on an annual, biannual or monthly basis. This change will start October 1 of this year. He also pointed out that when a driver sells their car, the tax on it is no longer transferable.

Another great announcement in the budget is that at least £200 million will be set aside to fix potholes on motorways. This is a move for which the Institute of Advanced Motorists is thankful. However, the organization feels like the government will need more money to really make a dent in the damage that has been done to roads.

Negil Greig, the director of policies and research at the Institute of Advanced Motorists, said that every little bit that goes toward fixing roadways is welcome. Many areas of the UK have been hammered by bad weather this year. That being said, the roads need at least £10 billion in repairs. It is only through long-term funding that the government is going to be able to truly fix this pothole problem.

Of course, not all groups were happy with the amount of money received for the motorways. The Royal Automobile Club said that the money put towards the roadways is simply not enough to make a dent in the maintenance that needs to be done. The club went on to say that the UK has whole stretches of road that need to be completely resurfaced, not just patched up. All the government is doing is patching up a road that is falling part completely. Patching up these roads is not fixing the problem and is just wasting taxpayers’ money. What is worse is that they continue to patch these potholes year after year, which wastes more and more money.

David Bizley, the technical director of the Royal Automobile Club, said that something has to be done to put an end to this cycle. The roads should never be allowed to degenerate to this point every again. If the roads had been kept up with in the first place, then the government would not need to spend so much money to get them fixed.